Warwick Garage (“Dormy” garage)
Emscote, Warwick
- Built in the 19th Century as a single bay, steel-framed
garage and added to in later years. Originally used by the Leamington
& Warwick Tramways Company Limited.
- Bus operations and vehicles of the Leamington & Warwick
Tramways Company Limited passed to the British Automobile
Traction Company in 1912.
- Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, all vehicles
belonging to the British Automobile Traction Company were requisitioned
by the military. The bus operations of that company passed
to the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited
(BMMO — Midland “Red”) on 5th December
1914, who operated them from the Warwick garage at Emscote with
surplus Tilling-Stevens vehicles previously allocated to Tennant
Street depot, Birmingham.
- All BMMO operations and vehicles transferred to new purpose
built garage at Old Warwick Road, Leamington Spa — Leamington
Spa depot — in April
1922, with control of Warwick garage passing back to Leamington
& Warwick Tramways Company Limited.
- Leamington & Warwick Tramways Company Limited cease tram
operations in favour of buses, and rename to Leamington
& Warwick Transport Company Limited.
- Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Limited
(BMMO — Midland “Red”) acquire a controlling interest
in the Leamington & Warwick Transport Company Limited in November
1935, which then operated as a subsidiary to BMMO.
- All services of the Leamington & Warwick Transport Company
Limited are taken over by the Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus
Company Limited (BMMO — Midland “Red”) on 30th September
1930. Control of the Warwick garage at Emscote also passes
to BMMO, who use it as an outstation, or “dormy garage,”
for Leamington Spa depot.
All vehicles in the Leamington &
Warwick Transport Company Limited fleet are withdrawn and replaced
by BMMO built SOS “SON” single-deck buses at this
time.
- Vehicle allocation of approximately 20 buses plus four ambulance
buses by the early 1940s.
- Double deck buses were introduced in the Leamington and Warwick
area in 1950. All were housed at the Warwick garage at Emscote
as the Old Warwick Road site of Leamington
Spa depot was unsuitable
for double-deck vehicles.
- Allocation of 35 vehicles by 1957.
- Garage closed in September 1957, with all vehicles and services
passing to new purpose built site in Myton Road, Leamington Spa
— Leamington Spa depot.